Santa Fe Archdiocese Incorporating Many Parishes

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe of the Roman Catholic Church has incorporated dozens of its parishes as nonprofits, a move that an attorney who has represented victims of clerical sexual abuse says could be an attempt to protect church assets.

Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Credit archdiocesesantafe.org

Attorney James Stang of Los Angeles says incorporating parishes as separate entities allows them to argue they have no responsibility for abuses at other parishes.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the archdiocese's incorporation of most of its 92 parishes follows similar steps by several other dioceses in the region.

In response to a request for comment, an archdiocese spokeswoman provided an article authored by a church official. It says incorporations of parishes will have their status under civil law reflect that they have separate identities under church law.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.